A superhero movie just hit the theaters in a big way. It hit so big that even I’m aware of it — and I’m no superhero movie person. The main character, Deadpool, is just as garish as the leads in any of these other recent blockbusters. He wears a blood-red commando suit that’s disturbingly covered with what look like personal weapons of mass destruction. “Deadpool” pulled in gross revenue of $132.75 million on its opening weekend, the all-time record opening for R-rated films. Apparently this highest-grossing film keeps the emphasis on the “gross.” Bodily functions and fluids are abundant. Splat!

That’s a familiar sound to me. I treat patients struggling with fecal and urinary incontinence. Other patients are afflicted with uterine or vaginal prolapse. Oh, have you stopped reading? Yeah, that’s common.

Most people are totally fine when blood and carnage abound in books, movies and even when plastered on the front page of a newspaper. But comments about the women I take care of as a urogynecologist generally bring almost all conversation to a halt.

You’d never know, considering how little we talk about it, that nearly 1 in 4 women over the age of 20 in the United States suffers from urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse. In fact, the United States is projected to experience significant growth in its aging population over the next 40 years, and an alarming 58.2 million women are anticipated to be burdened with at least one of these three common and life-altering conditions by 2050.

I get it. These are difficult subjects to talk about. Kind of gross. And some people think they should remain private or that they aren’t really that important. Others think that this is a normal part of aging. But it really isn’t. Just like Deadpool is not your normal superhero — and the fluids he spouts aren’t normal either.

Sadly, evidence has shown that these problems can lead to depression, anxiety, social isolation and are among the more common reasons for placing an elderly family member in a nursing home.

If your loved one was struggling with this, she could tell you, right? You’d work together and help her tell her primary care physician? She might need a referral to a specialist in pelvic floor disorders like me so we can talk about the nonsurgical and surgical treatment options that are available. With open communication among family, friends and medical professionals, we can improve pelvic floor function and reduce her incontinence — and maybe get rid of it once and for all.

Communication really is the key. If you’re suffering, try to tell someone. If you think a loved one might be suffering, you might mention that you read about something called “pelvic organ prolapse” — yes, in an essay about “Deadpool.” Deadpool is a survivor who can heal from any injury. My patients are survivors too, but they need help with their healing.

We need to start by rejecting the notion that some bodily fluids are a box office draw, and others can’t be mentioned to even your closest family members. The women who deal with these conditions in silence are real superheroes — and they shouldn’t have to be.

Dr. Marsha K. Guess is a urogynecologist at Yale School of Medicine. Twitter: @Dr_MKGuess